Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Like many of you, I'm sure, I just couldn't sleep. Fell asleep fine, woke up about 2:15am and tossed and turned for a couple of hours before deciding to just get up. Are the Astros playing tonight? Oh, yes they are. Must be an Arizona Fall League game. No, wait, it's the daggum World Series.

*Friend of Astros County's Steven Goldman: Everyone and no one is a winner in the World Series. Goldman:The postseason is a churn that produces random finalists like a washing machine spits out mismatched socks. It sounds lame, but, hey, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Twins, Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Dodgers, stand up! You're all already winners! It happens that this year the selection process may have produced the two best teams in each league, but quite often it doesn't, and regardless it would be better to just stop there.

*Josh Reddick is prepared to hear some boos tonight. Reddick:It's always tough when you come out for your first home game and get booed. That definitely wasn't a sign I was expecting. It hurts you a little bit, but you try to move on and play the game the right way. It just didn't work out.

Reddick was traded to the Dodgers - with Game 2 starter Rich Hill - from Oakland at the 2016 trade deadline. He hit .258/.307/.335 in the regular season and .308/.333/.308 in eight postseason games before falling to the Cubs in the NLCS.

*FanRag's Jon Bernhardt breaks down the favorites for World Series MVP. Bernhardt:Springer's odds would be better if not for how stacked his own team is with offensive talent - and the fact that the Dodgers are probably going to win the Series.

*Shoutout to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon, for being the Cal Ripken Jr of hating Jeff Luhnow:During a four-year span, they finished 56-106, 55-107, 52-111*, and 70-92 while general manager Jeff Luhnow traded veterans for prospects and "earned" great draft position. That sell-off allowed the franchise to operate with a tiny payroll and a large profit margin, but it also took a toll on the franchise's fan base.

*It was 51-111, idiot. Take that extra win and shove it up your tailpipe.

*OG Evan Drellich: Alex Cora must keep his conviction and honesty as the next Red Sox manager.

Steven Goldman is mostly right. I feel like the playoffs are basically a giant random number generator, anyone can get hot, anyone can go cold, it's just not enough games to know. Lord knows we saw that in 1998.

What did 538 say, you need like 10,000 games to really know which team is better? So, anything can happen, I'm so glad the Astros are back in the World Series, and may the ball bounce our way.

"Blah blah blah it's going to be soooo hot omigod!" These people have no idea what Houston summers are like. Closed roof or not, 95f with 100% humidity every day for 6 months pretty much inoculates you to hot weather. That 10% humidity is going to feel almost crisp to the Astros. That's nicer weather than inside MMP. And that ball is going to be flying out of Chavez Ravine tonight.

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Established in 2008, Astros County is your friendly neighborhood blog & grill. We are the Protectors of the Legacy of Dickie Thon, Defenders of the Honor of J.R. Richard, and Anti-American League. Orlando Palmeiro Was Safe.